<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Blind to a World of Code by KitKatKamisa</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26439262">Blind to a World of Code</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/KitKatKamisa/pseuds/KitKatKamisa'>KitKatKamisa</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action, Blind But Not Really, Coding, Computing, Decoder, Decoding, Hacker, Hacking, Mysteries, Mystery, Ones, Second Vision, Technology, Zeros - Freeform, code, numbers, simulations, special ability, thugs - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 04:56:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,069</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26439262</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/KitKatKamisa/pseuds/KitKatKamisa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hate, fear, hollow, worthless. That's all he ever felt. No one to look back and ask if he's okay. No one to stop and lend him a hand. No one to give him a pure smile with no hidden trickery behind it. No one that cared enough to say a simple "hello". He was just another rag-doll simply forgotten by everyone.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>THUD! BANG! CRACK! SLAM! It all happened so quickly it only felt like seconds, though it was actually over a few minutes. Loud footsteps echoed out along the dark hallway, broken lights flickering on and off along the way, casting an eerie feeling down the panicked teen's spine. Like spiders crawling down his back and snakes twisting over his arms and legs. He tripped but pushed himself back up. Breathing ragged, heart pounding a million miles a second, threatening to burst through his ribcage. 'This was it,' he thought, clenching his eyes tightly shut as he urged his broken and battered legs to keep moving. The sound of the one who he considered a father calling out his name was drowned out by the feeling of dread that he'd catch up to him. He shook his head. 'No time to think about that. That's only a 'what if' scenario. I can still make it.' Gulping down the lump in his throat, he pushed forwards, ghastly thin fingers stretching out and grabbing the sill of the window. He was almost there.</p><p> </p><p>With increasing effort to lift himself up, the fracturing of his ribcage weighing him down, he broke through the chains that bound him to this place he once thought of as home. He leapt out. A leap of faith, as they call it. He felt weightless, free from the burden of living in that hell, until he started to fall. Panic rose up as he realised, he didn't have a landing plan. He just jumped to get away. But he didn't want to die. He knew there was still so much he had to do. He couldn't die now, not when he was so close to freedom. Eyes wide, it seemed as if the world had faded away. He blinked once, twice, thrice even, but the world was... different. He was sure he was plummeting to his death that very second. So why did he see a dark void filled with numbers? No, not any numbers. Ones and zeros. Green ones and zeros in fact. But why?He tried to rub his eyes, hoping that would clear it, but it didn't. He turned his head, left, then right. His house was gone, the neighbours was gone, the whole street was gone in place of this void.</p><p> </p><p>He felt dizzy. Nausea pounding his head like a brick. He was confused, lost, shaking from pain, but still from relief. His trembles seemed to lessen with each second. Wait, was time even passing? He was still stuck in the air, free falling to his doom that laid just below him. He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath of air and exhaling. He felt wind in his hair, blowing against his face and battered body. But that's weird. It wasn't coming from below, but horizontal to where he was. Eyes still shut, he faced his head downwards and was surprised to see the ground. He reached up to his closed eyes, covering them with his shaky hands, but he could still see. He opened them; the code was back. "What the hell is happening to me...?" He muttered, shaking his head. A sudden but powerful voice boomed from above, and reality kicked in once more. His breathing hitched as he took off running down the street, not daring to look back. His eyes stayed closed, but he could see the world clearly.</p><p> </p><p>He wasn't sure what was going on, but he couldn't stop to question it now. All he knew was that he was to run, to escape from his fathers clutches and search for a home elsewhere. That's all he knew. Faster, faster he ran, his skinny legs threatening to give out at any moment. But he ignored it. He ignored the pain. He ignored the burning sensation he felt with every step he took. He ignored his pounding heart. He ignored his ringing ears. His stinging nose. His body that was just skin and bone. His lungs scalding from every harsh breath of crisp, cold air he breathed in. He ignored it all in favour of running. He wouldn't stop until he knew he was safe and far away from the hellhole he lived in. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. 1 - Freedom or Curse</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Roaring engines, bustling crowd, music loud enough to hear outside of their respected stores. Every day was busy with people rushing off to work and students heading off solemnly to school for another six or seven, maybe even longer, dreadful hours of boredom and helplessness. It was suffocating. Hot air and humidity at just the worst point that sweat clung to your skin. Summertime wasn't the season be running about in tight suits and ties. Rather, cooling off at the local beach or pub, or even just staying in your home under the air-con to cool down enough to be able to do something productive. People complain day in and day out, twenty-four-seven until autumn washes through and brings the cold air along with it. Only then do people start to complain about the cold and the snow that comes with it. In such a large city, there's nowhere to escape to, be it from the heat and humidity, the cold and snow, the constant chatter of people with places to be, the engines that screamed down the streets, or even the dread of having to go to school with no way out.</p><p>However, these weren't all problems for one particular teen. He was still skin and bone, not gaining enough weight from the little he was eating, or the muscles he was developing. He was short for his age, standing at 5"5 at seventeen. Short shoulder-length blue dyed hair usually tied back in a bun or low ponytail. It was dark in tone yet contrasted against his rather pale face. A pair of green eyes lay dormant behind his eyelids, having no need to open them to see. His clothes were rather large against his small build, yet he didn't care about the extra heat they brought when summer was around. Though he was used to it by now, barely having a place to live, never mind a fan to cool him off. However, a home wouldn't be relevant to him, as he was constantly moving around. Never staying in one place for too long, else someone might learn of his existence and the role that he played. He carried a backpack large enough for some of his supplies, and that was really all he had.</p><p>Stretching his skinny arms above his head, he let out a deep sigh and pushed himself to his feet. He grabbed his backpack and pulled it over his right shoulder, heading out of the alley he had sat in and out into the busy streets of his home city, Port Welchrside. A city known for its low crime rate and delicious food all year round. It's a peaceful city, at least on the surface. While the city is known for its low crime rate, it doesn't cover the egregious amount of drug rings and underground fighting tournaments that plagued the cities shady streets. Most choose to ignore it, knowing that the few that don't end up six feet under, or close to that if they're lucky. So it's not mentioned to travellers who decide to come and visit the city. Walking along the street, presence unnoticed by those around him, the teen slips out his cracked phone and starts flipping through news feeds, seeing what was happening. One particular video caught his interest and he pulled out his earphones to listen in.</p><p>
  <em>"—ocal areas have been targeted by a mysterious group of people who've ransacked pubs, restaurants, banks, even the main pool downtown. No one knows their goals or why they are rummaging through all these places, but the police have some speculations. One such speculating being that this group is searching for someone. This group may be associated with a newly formed gang down south in the city slums. Other speculations coincide with this theory. Authorities say that they are trying to make a name for themselves and to show that this city isn't as safe as locals would like to say it is. Howeve—" </em>
</p><p>"Tch. They're just some more thugs. If the police can't catch 'em, what use are they?" The teen muttered to himself, ripping the earphones from his ears and phone before stuffing them back in his bag. He tilted his head up, staring through closed lids at the clouds that drifted by, warning of potential rain along the way. "Damn. I wonder if I can get a place to stay for the night." He reached into his pockets, pulling out a small and flimsy wallet. Opening it, he sighed in disappointment at the little spare change he had. "Guess not. Hopefully I can find an alley with a cover over top. That should do me till next mornin'."</p><p>His hands fell back to his sides as he placed his wallet and phone back in his pockets. His shoulders sagged as he walked, ears pricked and picking up as many sounds in the vicinity as he could handle. He suddenly halted, straightening up as a weird sound caught his interest. He turned his head towards the sound, just staring over the city's wall of buildings that lined each and every street. He didn't know what he was expecting, but an explosion was one of the last things. The ground shook from the impact, screams and cries flooding the street as pedestrians began to run in a crazed panic. But not the teen. He went towards the explosion, pushing past those who ran opposite him, trying to get to safety. The teen felt a flare of pain in his legs, but he ignored it in favour of running towards the explosion, dark grey smoke polluting the blue sky in waves of dust, ash and fire. Running towards the echoing screams of passers-by as he ran, the teen came across the site of the explosion.</p><p>Layers upon layers of black soot from the explosion and ash covered the once clear concrete ground. The teen looked around, feeling bile rise in his throat at the countless charred and dismembered bodies that lay scattered around the site. Flashing blue and red lights and loud sirens signalled the arrival of the police and ambulances. Kids were crying, adults were trying to get away, and a crowd of brave or sociopathic people started forming. Blood stained the soot and concrete, dying it a dark shade of red as the paramedics started clearing away the slowly decaying bodies. The few that lived were petrified, some having lost a limb or two, others covered in blood and wounds. Fire licked at the edges of the site that use to be a famous pub in the area. But all that was left of it now was a pile of fire, dust and ash. Swallowing back the bile and the lump in his throat, the teen could only stare in shock, disbelief and horror. He didn't want to see it anymore. He just couldn't.</p><p>His eyes flew open, as if in an attempt to protect him from the vile world and destruction people pose onto it. Green ones and zeros flooded his vision, taking away the grizzly sight. He felt himself begin to breathe again, not having realised he stopped. He didn't know what brought him here, or why he wanted to see this. He knew what he was going to see. He knew he didn't want to see it. So why did his legs— no, his whole body pull him in that direction? As a warning? As a threat? To show him how the world works? Was it karma because of what he said about those thugs and the police? He didn't know. Closing his eyes once more, he found himself outside of a library back in the safer, or as safe as you can get, part of the city. Releasing a sigh of relief, the teen entered the library and headed down to the back where chairs and tables were lined out. He sat down and pulled out his laptop, turning it on and sinking back into his seat. The screen lit up and the teen got to work.</p><p>He opened up a desktop app he had installed years ago. He opened one eye, half the world changing to that of the coding language that he had been familiarising himself with over the years. Ever since he first discovered his new ability, he's been learning code and programming, alongside everything you could do with it. Like becoming a hacker. Cracking his knuckles, he let his fingers do what they usually did and started rapidly typing on his laptop. The code in his left side view started disassembling, changing to match the code that was written out on his laptop screen. Seeing this, the teen let a smirk cross his face as he continued to type. The code soon started to form together, and the words 'ACCESS GRANTED' appeared in both his vision and on his laptop screen. He let out a small cheer and continued to type. A few pages and forms popped up, talking about the recent explosion, the thugs, downtown slums, police records, the newly deceased and other such pages.</p><p>Clicking his tongue, the teen started to sift through all the information that popped up, letting his code program run in the background. As the code started to come to life in his left side vision, his right scanned through the pages upon pages of names, data, criminal records, ages, addresses, locations and more. "Nope, nope, no, no, no, god no. Damn, coming up empty. There's got to be something here..." he muttered under his breath. He started exiting out of web-page after web-page as more and more popped up in their places until he found something interesting. Halting the code, he started reading the new web-page that had loaded up, seeing that it was about a possible connection between the new thugs and the explosion. "Heh. Hasn't even been an hour and people are already making up theories. What a joke. But I guess it's worth a read." His closed eye scanned the page from top to bottom, absorbing all the information he could as he went through.</p><p>"Huh? This is interesting. They have a point...I guess I'll look into it a bit more. See if I can make any connections..." opening up a fresh tab, the teen searched up 'newest gang formed in south slums,' clicking enter and letting the page load. "There seems to be quite a bit of information. I wonder what I can fin—"</p><p>"Excuse mister. But could I ask what you're doing?" A sudden voice shook the teen from his thought process, startling him into opening up a random page before looking up. Seeing the jolt that ran through the teen, the stranger looked sheepish as he scratched the back of his neck. "Oops, sorry. I didn't mean to startle you or anything. You just looked a little suspicious, and I was wondering what you were doing. Again, sorry for startling you." He seemed polite, but the young hacker-in-training wasn't too impressed.</p><p>"So? What's it to you? I don't have to answer you. You're not my mum. You can't just go up and start interrogating someone just because they're researching stuff." The teen sharply replied, adding sass to his tone to try and get the dude to leave.</p><p>A bit shocked by the teens tone and words, the stranger merely looked back blankly before seemingly turning red in embarrassment. "Oh geez! I didn't realise how rude I was being. You're cool, man. I didn't mean anything by it. Sorry to bother you. I'll be off now!" He turned and walked away, leaving the teen to go back to what he was doing before.</p><p>Making sure that the stranger was gone, the teen returned his attention to his device, though the strangers unique purple eyes stayed with him. Shaking his head so he could focus on his laptop, the teen went to exit the page he had opened before he read the title of the article. "Hold up, what? Identities confirmed? What's this?" He scrolled through, stopping upon the pictures and names of five different people, three male and two female. They all seemed to be in their late twenties, early thirties, but he couldn't be certain about that. "Jackson Mears, Xavier Olivine, Harris Pierce, Jessica Pryce and Valery Underwood... what is all of this? Where did this all come from? Wait, if I check the police database and their names and pictures match, this might just be correct!" Opening up his code again, he typed in a new command. Another pop up appeared, and the teen smirked. "Let's see... no, no, no, no, no... found ya! Now to check... it matches!"</p><p>Looking back at the web-page, he confirmed all of them. They all matched, but now the hard part came. How to prove that these five are the five in the newly formed gang. If he couldn't prove that, then he had nothing to go off. "Time to test this out. Not sure if it'll work, but I can try." Minimising the tabs, he opened the code again and typed up something else, letting the code load and open up something new. A camera feed to be exact. He started to mess with it, trying to find the time when the explosion occurred and trying to get an accurate image of the perpetrators. As he did so, the feed appeared in his left-side vision, allowing him to see everything clearly. "Woah. This is new. I can work with this." He opened his right eye, watching the feed as if he was there himself. He watched as the perpetrators, five in total, ran up to the pub site. They were all holding what looked like gasoline carriers. Breath hitching, the teen watched in horror as they lit up the pub.</p><p>But they weren't done. The pub lit up like a match, the customers and staff screaming and trying to escape the now burning building. But the perpetrators dropped their bags and grabbed sticks of stolen dynamite, dynamite that they ransacked on an earlier occasion. They ran back a few metres before throwing the dynamite into the fire, escaping further down the alleys as the explosives went off, creating the giant explosion that happened about an hour earlier. The camera feed followed the five escapees as they fled the scene, halting in an alley ages away from the explosion site. The five stood in silence for a few moments before breaking out in hysterics, almost collapsing at how hard they were laughing. Rage started to boil in the teen's blood and soul as he watched the five. They took off the masks that hid their identities from the world, not realising the camera that fixated on them from above. That was all the confirmation the teen needed.</p><p>Their faces were exact matches. He was sure of it. He closed his eyes with a sigh, saving the camera feed onto his laptop and closing down all other web-pages besides the one with the information and the police database. "Well, at least I know who did it now. And that all the information on this page is correct. I should give this to the police," he reached into his bag, searching for a USB. "There it is. Transfer everything across... and done." He shut down his laptop after ejecting the USB, placing the device back into his bag before standing up and swinging it over his shoulder. Clenching the USB in his left hand, he headed out with an almost unnoticeable frown formed on his face. He left the library and started down the street, heading in the direction of the nearest police station.</p><p>He let his unopened eyes roam, scanning the streets and faces of pedestrians as they walked past. Any group of five he kept his eyes on for longer, searching their faces for any similarities between them and the thugs, but found nothing as he walked. Sighing in what he felt was relief, the teen continued on until the police station came into view. He hurried along, quickening his pace until he was at the entrance. He entered, spoke quickly with the receptionist, gave her the USB and left, all in under five minutes. He huffed out a quick sigh, not use to interacting with authority figures after what happened with his father. He shook the thought from his head. He cracked open his left eye a little bit, seeing the flood of code filling the gap that he saw through. The code seemed to be loading something, but what, the teen didn't know. He just continued to walk as his left-side vision changed and developed as he walked.</p><p>Sudden realisation struck him like a lightning bolt as the sky began to darken around him. The code came to a halt, the word 'LOADING' becoming present as he ducked into the nearest alley, out of sight from everyone around him, not like they noticed him anyway though. Heading down to the back of the alleyway, the teen sat down and pulled out his phone, opening up his notes and flipping through them until he found the one he was looking for. Clicking out, he opened up a program and started to type as the 'LOADING' message changed. The letters disassembled, changing shape and form to spell out a different word, or rather words. 'ACCESSING DATABASE. PROCEEDING NOW.' He opened his eye all the way, watching as his vision turned from green ones and zeros to an image... wait, no, camera feed more like it. It showed a city, his home city Port Welchrside to be exact. But from where? The teen had seen this happen once before, but he couldn't remember when.</p><p>He watched as the feed started to turn to the side, showing more of the area and giving the teen more of a clue as to where this was. 'I've been there before. I'm sure of it. But how do I get there again?' His thoughts wandered about his mind as his phone vibrated in his hands, telling him that his code was ready. Looking down through his closed eye, he scanned the link that popped up, deeming it safe enough to open and clicked on it. A web-page opened up with an image resembling the area he was viewing in his left eye. Looking at the name, he found the area and the quickest way to get there from central. Shutting his phone off and shoving it in his pocket, he looked up and realised that it was getting darker, the moon rising up ever so slowly as stars started shining. 'Guess I'm sleeping here tonight. I don't see any clouds anymore, but I can't be certain about there being no rain. Oh well. I get what I get, I suppose.'</p><p>Closing his left eye, he looked around and found a place to lay down, just far enough under a ledge that he wouldn't be soaked should it rain. Laying down, he got as comfy as he could on the cold hard ground and let his mind drift. 'I wonder why I was shown that place. Guess the only why I'll find out is by going over there. Should only take two hours if I'm lucky. Well, I'll hopefully understand in the morning.' His thoughts drifted as he fell into a peaceful slumber, the echoing of thunder in the distance warning of rain becoming nothing but white noise in the ears of the teen as he fell asleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. 2 - Frightful Mess</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Waking from his slumber, the teen pushed himself up with shaking skinny arms, only just noticing the rain-soaked ground that reached up to his body that hung outside the cover range. He let out a quiet sigh as he rubbed at his closed eyes, waking him up more as the sunlight greeted him. Stretching his aching limbs, he pushed himself up and turned on his phone, noticing that it was only on twenty percent. Huffing out a quick sigh of annoyance, the teen clicked on the web-page and checked the location once more, noting it down in his mind before turning his phone off completely until he could charge it once more. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, the teen walked off in a sour mood. He wandered down to the station, keeping his closed eyes on the ground as he walked. His ears picked up on all the sounds around him and he deciphered which sound were what and from where they were coming from. Birds chirping off in the distance, blaring engines that drive past, even the small murmur of passers-by as they walk. He listened to it all as he walked.</p><p>No longer feeling the ache in his legs as he moved, the teen faced ahead and towards the train station coming closer in the distance. 'Two house and I'll be there. I guess I could try to sleep. And the little money I have should be just enough for a ticket. Hopefully.' Now at the entrance, the teen pushed open the door and headed up to the receptionist, pulling out his wallet along the way. "A ticket to the east coast please." He gave the man his money and he counted through, nodding to himself before passing the mildly shaking teen his ticket and leftover change. "Thanks." With that interaction over and done with, the teen headed down the stairwell towards the platforms, catching sight of only a few other pedestrians needing to catch the train. He slunk into the shadows, though he didn't stand out anyway. He waited the few minutes it took for the train to pull in, stepping onboard as the doors pulled open. He found a vacant seat rather quickly and seated himself, taking in a deep breath and exhaling, easing himself.</p><p>He steeled his nerves, calming himself down as he felt the train begin to shift, taking off and leaving the station. Once he felt his body stop shaking and become relaxed, he cracked open an eye and watched as his coded vision began to shift, the word 'LOADING' appearing once more. It soon turned into the camera feed that he was shown just the night before. The same area, the same camera feed, the same everything. Only this time were people walking about, chatting up with friends as they passed by, paying no mind to the camera that watched over them. They were all used to the cameras that plagued the city, knowing that they were there for protection and safety reasons. Closing his eye, the feed was drowned out by the sight of the train once more. The train came to a screeching halt, burning the teen's ears but he didn't flinch. He merely sighed as the doors opened, letting more passengers board or get off.</p><p>"Oh hey! Didn't think I'd see you here! What a surprise! It must be my lucky day. I was hoping to be able to talk to you again." A strange but also slightly familiar voice flooded the teen's ears as he perked up a bit, closed eyes trailing up to the same stranger's face as before, his strange yet captivating purple eyes gleaming in surprise and happiness, though that confused the teen. "Mind if I sit here? Also, what's your name? I'm Ivan. Ivan Reignier." His lips curved up in a big smile, stretching across his face.</p><p>The teen just let out an exasperated sigh and slumped over, making a motion with his hand towards the seat beside him. "I don't care. And it's not like I can stop you from sitting here anyway. And do you really need my name?" Ivan sat down and turned to the teen, nodding his head with sparkles in his eyes. "Fine. The name's Zane Angevin. Now, what the hell do you want from me?" The teen now named Zane asked, exhaustion evident in his voice, but Ivan didn't seem to pick up on it.</p><p>His eyes seemed to light up more than they already were. "I wanna be your friend! I've seen you around and you seem lonely. So, I wanna be your friend! If you'll let me." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, laughing nervously as his silver-blond hair framed his face. "We might've gotten off on the wrong foot. So, I want to patch things up. And plus, I'm sure having a pal around will make things much more fun! So, how about it? Can I tag along?" Ivan's eyes were practically begging Zane to accept him offer, but the teen wasn't so sure about it. The fact that he was basically a hacker-in-training, he didn't want this guy to learn about what he did, or what he was doing.</p><p>"I'd rather not. I've literally only seen you twice now. I'd need to know more about you before I trust you and becoming your... friend. And I'd rather it if you didn't follow after me." Zane shot him down, watching as Ivan's eyes turned around and sad as he started to pout, turning away and facing the floor. "I have many reasons as to why I don't want to become friends with you as of now. If you can prove to me that you are trustworthy and not incompetent of things, then I might just accept. But until then, we'll be strangers to each other. I don't care that you know my name, or I know yours. That just means we're acquaintances, but in my eyes, you're still just a stranger." Ivan seemed to gain new hope from Zane's words as he stood up, careful to keep his balance as he turned to Zane.</p><p>He mock saluted the blue-haired teen before walking off, finding another seat further down in a different carriage, leaving Zane in peace. He now had a name from the stranger, but that doesn't mean he wanted to be acquainted so fast. He's just glad that the guy left him alone after that. Breathing in and out to calm himself once more, Zane leaned his head against the window of the train and felt himself start to drift, the peace within his carriage lulling him to sleep.</p><p>
  <strong>~~~~~~~~~~</strong>
</p><p>Letting out a yawn, Zane felt his bones creak as he cracked his arms and neck, feeling relief from the now broken tension. He looked up and noticed the next station's name filing across the thin screen line above the door. His destination. Grabbing his bag, he made sure everything was still there before slinging it over his shoulder, he stood up and clung to the metal pole the seats were connected to, feeling the vibrations and hearing the sound of the train pulling up to the station. He kept himself steady, though his legs threatened to give out at any moment from the strain. Once still, the doors pulled open and Zane stepped out, making his way up the stairs and out of the station. Looking around, he opened his left eye a little bit and took off, watching the camera feed load up and look around. It was in an open space surrounded by flowers and bushes, circling an oasis like area that shimmered in the sunlight.  Turning left and right at different intersections, Zane slowly made his way over there, questions filling his head.</p><p>'You know what? There's no time for questions that probably won't be answered. I just need to get over there and figure out why I'm getting this feed. And why just from that one specific camera.' The humidity and heat seemed to seep into his skin, but he ignored it in favour of walking, coming across the allocated area, but for what purpose? He looked around, seeing himself in the camera feed in his left-side vision. He glanced to the right and caught sight of it. Walking over, a sudden feeling of dread weighed down on his shoulders as he stepped closer. With each step he took, the feeling of anxiety mixed with nervousness and disassociation grew and grew. It was as if his body was trying to tear in half, break away and fade into nothingness as he stepped closer. He came to a halt, standing right in front of the camera, and turned around. That feeling in his chest grew with a sudden violence, clawing at his sides as spiders crawled along his spine and legs. His trembles were obvious, but he couldn't contain them.</p><p>His breath hitched, lungs shrinking and heart skipping a beat as he was overflowed with fear and anxiousness. "Why hello there, little boy. Is there something you need?" A tall and thin, thinner than him, pale as a sheet yet coloured with vibrant splashes from a pallet. Curled brown hair frames the lengthy woman's face, a large hot pink hat casting a shadow over her eyes where long, longer than normal, eyelashes grew. A bony and frail hand was outstretched in his direction, yet that isn't what scared the teen so much. The aura, the beast of an aura that surrounded her being, unknown to those around them yet visible to him and him alone snarled. Large ghostly black claws reached out, threatening to slash him in two should he step even a foot closer to the bony woman. He gulped down a lump in his parched throat. "Is there a problem? You are hesitating very much. Is there anything I can do for you?" Though she smiled a toothy smile, Zane wanted to turn tail and escape.</p><p>'W-what the fuck have I gotten myself into?! W-who is this lady? And what is that... that thing! Why isn't anyone saying anything about it? It's right there!' He wanted to scream. He wanted to claw out his throat to breathe. He wanted to bash his legs so that they'd move. He wanted to... he wanted to do what? What could he do? A shaky breath left his mouth as he heaved, feeling like he had just run a marathon, yet his legs didn't ache from muscle strain, but the fear that stood right in front of him. Minutes, hours, the confrontation seemed to stretch on forever, till Zane finally regained his bearings enough to speak. "Wh... who are you?" He stopped himself there, not daring to ask about that... that thing resting across her skeleton-like shoulders.</p><p>"Who am I?" She repeated, blinking in what seemed to be surprise. "Why I never. To think you don't know me. That's outrageous! For I am Selena Harth! I am the famous singer and model from outside the city. I have come here for a vacation. But to think that you don't know me. Why, have you been living under a rock? It just doesn't make sense." She placed her bony fingers on her forehead and dramatically shook her head as she sighed. "This is no good. No good at all. I thought that you'd want an autograph or something. I thought that was why you were so nervous and hesitant! Oh my, oh my." The name along had frozen Zane in place yet shivered tacked his body as he stood in place.</p><p>'Selena Harth. That's Selena Harth! Oh shit! This makes things worse! I... I can't speak to her. What the fuck am I supposed to do?! I can't get close! That thing will take my head off! What do I do, what do I do? This is seriously bad.' He felt like he'd have a mental break down as the entire weight of the situation came crashing down, trying to break his shoulders under the immense pressure. Blood turning to ice, he barely managed to open his mouth once more. "O-oh... That's right... I didn't rec-recognise you. I..." 'Crap! What do I say, what do I say? I-I'm panicking too much!' "I..." 'I what? What am I trying to say?!' He felt nervous sweat trickle down his forehead as he took a quick but small step backwards. "I-I'm sorry. I'm just so nervous. I haven't even s-seen a star before, so I d-don't know what to s-say."</p><p>She smiled, trying to seem sweet, but the thing across her shoulders just made it seem worse than it actually was. Filled with hate and malice, growing in warning and baring its fangs in sign of attack, the vibes were two completely different things. "Well of course. That's understandable. I mean, I am a famous star around these parts. It can't be helped. Oh, but why don't you get an autograph? I'd be happy to sign something of yours, and you can show it to all your friends and say 'I met Selena Harth today! Oh, what a wondrous day it was!' You can brag to everyone should you feel the need to. Spread the word, tell them that I am here and will be staying for a while and that this is their once-in-a-life-time chance to meet someone as grand as me!" She brought her hand up to her lips as she bellowed out a laugh, not noticing the shivers that were sent through Zane as the thing across her shoulders seemed to grin and laugh along with her, but for different reasons.</p><p>Barely opening up his left eye, Zane searched for a way out, letting the code load into something else. As the code loaded up, the beast raised its head high, staring directly at the teen, at if it were glaring right into his soul. As the lady continued to boast, the spirit-like beast stood up, seemingly weightless to the lady, but heavy to Zane. It crouched down low, baring its fangs and unsheathing its claws, growling loudly in warning. Zane took his chance. The code loaded into what looked like his regular vision, yet more like a simulation then anything. It was like an RPG, and Zane used it to his advantage. The beast lunged forwards are the speed of sound, yet the wind seemed to only faze through it as it moved. A thought crossed Zane's head and he hoped it would work, watching the thing through both eyes as it it nearer and nearer with each passing second. 'Now!' Just as he yelled out the word in his head, a giant shield appeared, but on in his left vision. He couldn't see anything but the lady and beast in his right.</p><p>But it seemed to work. The beast collided with the shield, eliciting a pained yowl in response as it leaped back to the lady. Zane let out a sigh. It wasn't over yet. The spirit beast glared daggers into the trembling teen, and it seemed to smirk. Time seemed to slow, but only for the teen and the beast, a staring contest ensuing between them as they had a standoff. Zane reached his hands back, feeling the solid yet transparent hilt of a sword forming on his left side view. Of course, it wasn't actually there, but the spirit could see it, and the teen could feel it. They were frozen, not moving an inch for what felt like an eternity until the beast finally lunged. It charged forward, roaring with such ferocity that it shook Zane to the core, yet he didn't move. He tightened his hold on the sword by his side and waited, eyes scanning the beast's every move, every flex of its spirit-like muscles and every wisp of its aura that held it together. Now.</p><p>Slashing forwards with as much pressure, power and speed he could manage, Zane tore through the fabric of reality and into the beast. His sword shattered. So did his determination and soul. He braced himself for anything, tensing up and tilting his head down with his eye now closed. Yet he felt nothing. He looked up, seeing nothing but the lady who had finally stopped boasting about herself and her fame. "What is it boy? You look like you've just seen a ghost! Did my fans really shock you that much? Oh, how pleased I am! To think that I, a star model and actor, can create such a look. As a token of my gratitude, I'll let you have this. It's a one-of-a-kind autograph. The only one of this caliber. It's all yours, boy. Now run along now. I have many places to be!" She tossed the teen what seemed to be a bag of some kind as she turned and left, laughing away.</p><p>Barely managing to catch the flying object, Zane turned it around in his hands to examine it. Not a bag, that's for sure. It was a music box signed by Selena Harth. Zane opened it up and wound the stick to the side, letting it play. "Yep. Those are Selena's songs alright. Makes sense. Guess I'll keep this till I find someone to give it to?" Still shaken up, Zane placed the music box in his bag as he huffed out a breath of relief. He opened his left eye once more, however the simulation was gone. "I guess it makes sense. Games are made from code. But that was so weird. Why hasn't any of this happened before? And what the fuck was that thing? None of that made any sense whatsoever. I just hope it doesn't happen again. Man, I need a break." Looking up at the sky, he realised that it was only noon. While that interaction seemed to stretch on, it only went for twenty minutes at most. He let out another sigh, this time of defeat and exhaustion. 'You've won this time world. Guess I'll see if I have anything else to do. But first I need a charger. My phone and laptop are gonna die soon.'</p><p>Grabbing hold of his bag so as to not let it slip, the teen made his way back into the bustling streets of the city and headed off to find a library. Only there he knew he could ask for a charger, but even then, it probably wouldn't happen knowing his luck. But it was the only chance he had. So, he shook his head, cleared his mind, forced himself to put that interaction to the back of his mind and to focus on finding a damn charger before his devices died.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>